Rain Dance
by Lord Kristine
Summary: Years in the future, Jurassic World has left its mark on society.


The Museum of World Heritage was smaller than Blauna remembered it. When she last visited the building, she had been at most five years old, which meant that she was significantly taller now. It was hard to come up with a frame of reference, since she had no way of knowing her height at that point in time. She remembered extending her arm vertically in order to reach her father's hand, but he obviously wasn't around anymore. Perhaps it was better that way, since she would never have to outgrow him, and in the process realize that there would come a time when she'd have to be independent like all the other adults. It was good to be independent from the start in order to avoid the trials and tribulations of growing up.

Blauna couldn't imagine what it must be like for people her age to walk out into the world just like that. How could they leave their homes and families behind, even if it was necessary to make their own way in life? Blauna, of course, would never have to leave home, because she didn't have one. Oh, she had a _house_ , but it wasn't like there was anything that welcomed her to it, nor any _one_ , for that matter. She had never known her mother, and her father was gone, plain and simple. The house she had grown up in before he was taken from her had been sold long ago, and she now lived in a sterile, flavorless apartment complex, along with her aunt, who belonged to her father's side of the family. The stegoceratops side.

Of course, Blauna's mother had been a human-raptor, though which side came from where was uncertain. There was only one thing left of the woman, other than Blauna's existence. After giving birth, Blauna's mother had given her a name, then up and left, disappearing without a trace. Why she had abandoned her family, Blauna would never know. A part of her wondered if her mother was still out there, but even if that were the case, would she even want to find her? Probably not. After the death of her father, Blauna had effectively disowned her other parent, choosing a new name for herself. Even in this day and age, no one would be called Blauna, of all things. Her current title was a nickname she made up when she was young, and it had since lost its foolish tone in her ears. It was the same with her friends, who had been with her when they took their sacred oath, though she wasn't sure their motives for changing their names were as solemn as hers. It didn't really matter, anyway, because she rarely thought about her name, as its unusual ring was only brought up when she encountered strangers. For the most part, she stuck to her merry band of misfits, who luckily were accompanying her on this glorified field trip. They were chatting behind her, but as they approached the staircase leading up to the structure, they caught up with her and finished their (probably immature) discussion . The largest of the group, a Dilophosaurus Rex, dipped his head down to speak with her.

"You alright?"

Blauna sighed.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're awful quiet."

"Not really."

The shorter one, a Carnoraptor, pushed between them.

"Quiet, Oranchamp. Let Blauna do what she wants. Maybe she needs a break from your whiny voice."

"I'm not whiny!" he protested.

"You're whining right now! Let the girl think, why don't you!"

"I'm not thinking," Blauna mumbled, "I'm just bored, that's all."

He darted in front of her like a bolt of red lightning and started walking backwards.

"Well, why don't I entertain you? I learned a new card trick yesterday, and I-"

He grunted as he bumped into the back leg of their professor. She dipped her head down and glared at him.

"Watch your step, Crimsol, and don't make trouble. I don't know why I let you three work in a group, but if you so much as sneeze in the museum, I will revoke that privilege."

He gave a sheepish smile and put his arm around Blauna.

"Hey, you don't need to worry about us, Dr. Ling. We work well together."

She rolled her eyes.

"If only that were true."

As she turned away, Crimsol lowered his voice.

"Yikes. Let's not get on her bad side. I don't know if I can pass this course without your guys' help."

"Oh, you definitely can't," Oranchamp stated flatly.

"Don't argue," Blauna muttered, "Let's do this quickly and efficiently. We'll find the easiest exhibit to write about, then get the hell out of here."

"Well, we'd have to wait for the rest of the class, but I see your point," Crimsol agreed, "Maybe we should pick something hybrid-related to get sympathy points with Ling."

"She won't fall for that mush," Oranchamp grumbled, "I had her for Hybrid Studies in second year, and she barely passed me."

"That's because you're a dumbass, Oranchamp," Crimsol quipped, "Anyway, what's the harm in studying our shared history? Ling is part Indominus, right? Didn't her kind get genocided once?"

Blauna rolled her eyes.

"That's not a word, but yes. They nuked an island of Indominuses way back when, effectively killing a good half of their population."

"Exactly, so if we milk the fact that we're hybrids-"

"We're not doing that, Crimsol," Blauna said sternly, "I have enough discrimination to face without others thinking I'm trying to make a profit over my species' genocide."

He cocked his head.

"They genocided human-raptor-stegoceratopses?"

She slapped her forehead.

"No, you moron, they genocided- Crap, now you have _me_ saying it!"

Oranchamp took a deep breath.

"What she's saying is that it was the stegoceratops race that was attacked. Twice. Plus, humans killed humans and humans killed raptors, though the latter is mostly the result of street violence."

Blauna groaned.

"Thank you, Oranchamp, for reducing me to a common criminal."

He bit his lip.

"You know I didn't mean it that way."

Crimsol wove between them.

"He's always pulling stuff like that, claiming us half-raptors are violent. I got news for you, Orrie: you're more predator than Blauna is."

"So are you!"

"But I don't spit."

Blauna crowed at them in warning.

"Shut it, or we'll get in trouble. God, what's with you two today? You're both being jerks."

They stared at her with wide eyes. After a beat, they spoke at once.

"Nothing's wrong Blauna."

"We're perfectly fine."

She narrowed her eyes, then turned back to the museum doors.

"Alright. Keep quiet, and don't make this any harder than it has to be. I need this credit for my degree, and I won't fail if I can help it."

They decided not to argue with her.

***RD***

When the professor allowed the class to break into groups, the trio made a dash for the least occupied part of the museum. They didn't want to fight for dibs over a popular exhibit, and the other students were flocking to specific areas. As they passed different displays, the intercoms spewed fragments of information, none of them alluring enough to stop for.

"This painting, titled 'The Kiss' is thought to have originated in Asterpara, and captures a key moment in the history of . . ."

". . . whiskers from his jerboa form, now a prized artifact . . ."

". . . perhaps the only known error in the manuscript, from an early version . . ."

". . . The original mast from the ship La Estrella, preserved here in . . ."

". . . web from the tail of the Monarch Queen, capable of supporting up to five tons . . ."

". . . wodna, and metálos. Together, they form the six elements of . . ."

". . . jaw was violently torn from . . ."

". . . with Claire Dearing, and the two of them searched for her nephews in . . ."

". . . releasing energy in the form of . . ."

". . . in the year 3018. It was the most devastating attack of the century."

Hearing the last description, Crimsol rushed towards a television set displaying a building with thick smoke billowing out of it. He turned to his friends with an excited grin.

"What about this? Could be an interesting drama piece."

Blauna shook her head.

"We can't do this one."

"Why not?"

"That's how I lost my dad."

His face fell.

"Oh my god. I didn't-"

"It's fine. Let's keep moving."

They wove through the exhibits in silence, afraid of what might happen if they said the wrong thing. There was a reason Blauna didn't talk about her father often, and this was it. Her past wasn't exactly cheerful, and she didn't like it when people pitied her or wondered what must be going on in her head. It felt like an invasion of privacy to have others speculate about her emotions, especially while she was still in school. The last thing she needed was a teacher reporting her to the psychiatrist. As far as Blauna was concerned, she could deal with the uncomfortable moments of her history alone.

When they passed a stuffed badger, Oranchamp took a deep breath. Blauna slowed down, wondering whether he was about to bring up her father or an unrelated topic. She was betting on the first option, but if he intended to mention it, he changed his mind.

"Maybe we should check out the constellation dome. That might be neat."

"Stop being a nerd," Crimsol snapped, "Why can't we do something interesting?"

He hopped over to a spear in a glass case.

"What's this, some kind of ancient-"

When he read the label, he scuttled away from the display quickly.

"Nevermind. Let's check out that star thing Oranchamp mentioned."

"I know what that was," Blauna said sourly, "I'm not stupid."

Crimsol winced.

"Sorry . . ."

"It's fine. You two aren't like the others. You don't judge me for my ancestors."

"I'm related to a map-roller," Oranchamp chirped.

Crimsol stomped on his foot.

"What he means to say is that you're right, Blauna. We shouldn't talk about that kind of thing. Look, I heard there's a hologram about the battlefield where they fought for hybrid rights-"

"I don't want to do anything related to my race."

"Then what about the anatomy of the Lilylotusdrop?" Oranchamp suggested, "That might be fun. Pretty simple, too."

"That's not good for a history project," Blauna mumbled.

"Why don't we check out some fossils?" Crimsol interjected.

"We could watch the show at the theatre," Oranchamp trilled, "They're using ancient choreography to represent the Volatus Virus-"

"Don't be stupid!" Crimsol snapped, "That'll take too long. Let's check out the globe."

"That's just a display."

"They're all displays!"

"Not the gift shop!"

"How does _that_ help us?"

Blauna shrieked in frustration.

"Stop it! Just stop! If you're going to argue about it, we'll just talk about _her_ , okay?"

She pointed to a wax figure holding a replica of the spear Crimsol had pointed out earlier. Before they could stop her, she marched up to it and pulled the assignment sheet out of her bag.

"Here we go: let's write this down. Should be a good start, hm? Let's see . . . most evil woman to ever exist . . . beyond hope of redemption . . . a threat to the entire Neoverse . . . am I forgetting anything? Oh, yeah. A sure-fire way of ensuring that her descendants will never be allowed to have a career in politics, magic, or anything that gives them even a little bit of power, because obviously they'd abuse it like she did. It's all well and good if you're on her sister's side of the family, but as soon as you bring up the fact that you're related to the Blood Monarch, all of a sudden, people think you're a monster. 'Course, it doesn't help when you look like a freak-"

"We don't think you're a freak, Blauna," Oranchamp offered, "We're your friends."

"That's because you're freaks too. Didn't you ever wonder why no one talks to us? We're all losers."

Crimsol rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, my dad was kind of famous."

"He's a washed-up sprinter. Nobody would even _remember_ him if he hadn't tried to cheat his way through the World Games. I'll bet he wished he was naturally faster, like a purebred raptor."

"Maybe . . ." Crimsol sighed.

Oranchamp shuffled forward nervously.

"I guess my family is pretty blue collar too, but Blauna, you're doing okay in school."

She sneered.

"I'm a B student. Nothing special. You two are my only friends, and I haven't done anything to improve the world significantly."

"You're nice to us," Oranchamp said quietly, scuffing the floor with his toes.

"Yeah, but for how long? Next year, I'm out of school and on my own, and I have nothing planned. Sure, I'll be able to pick up a job, but to what end? I don't have a family, and we'll end up drifting apart . . ."

"No, we won't," Crimsol asserted, "We've been best friends for ages. We don't need school to keep us together. Once we're adults, we'll be able to do whatever we want."

Blauna shook her head sadly.

"That's not true. We all have limitations, whether we like them or not. Oranchamp, you're huge. That restricts the number of places you can go. Some buildings aren't made for large dinosaurs. You'll only be able to get a job that suits your size. Crimsol, you're fast, but you're not the fastest. The carnotaurus in you is slowing you down, so you'll never be able to outrun the best of the best, just like your father. As for me, I'll be stuck with some insignificant job, because as soon as I try to be something great, people will start comparing me to my relatives. Whether it's accusations or trivia, the Blood Monarch will always be a part of me, no matter how many years go by. That's why we'll never be anything more than this: the world has no place for us."

She knew her words were harsh, and she expected her friends to react negatively, but they did not. Instead, they stared above her, looking quite surprised. At first, she thought they were examining the wax sculpture, but when they didn't break their gaze, she turned around and noticed a trunkish foot behind her. It belonged to a gargantuan creature, brown and covered in thick hair, with a swaying trunk and long, curved tusks that swept in front of his face nobly. Between them, an eight-pointed star hovered in midair, glowing bright. Blauna stumbled backwards in shock.

"You're King Elmer!"

"Yes, and you must be Blauna."

Her eyes went wide.

"You know who I am? How?"

He smiled, though it was hard to see with his trunk in the way.

"Long ago, I met your father and mother. That was before you were born."

She batted her eyes.

"You knew them? What were- I mean, what are you doing here? No offense, but I thought you'd be in the palace doing something important."

"I _am_ doing something important. I'm talking to you."

She gulped and looked away.

"That doesn't seem too important."

He placed his trunk on her shoulder.

"I can assure you, it is _very_ important. If your friends will excuse us for a moment, I'll tell you why."

Oranchamp and Crimsol (who looked like they were ready to poop themselves) suddenly snapped to attention. They gave Elmer clumsy bows, then scurried away. Blauna wished they could have somehow gotten her out of this mess. The King led her away from the most crowded part of the museum, and brought her to a balcony that provided a decent view of the front entrance of the museum. He lumbered up to the railing and stared down at the garden in the lobby.

"Do you know much about your father, Blauna?"

She bit her lip.

"I . . . I guess not. I mean, I remember him, but-"

"Do you know what he was researching when he met your mother?"

She shook her head.

"He told me about some kind of boar, but-"

"Yes, that's exactly it. Next year, a stone will break apart, releasing-"

"The Blood Monarch?!" Blauna gasped.

"No, someone else," Elmer replied calmly, "Of course, she was not looked upon fondly near the end, just like the person you so fear. This woman, however, will bring peace to the world and everyone in it. Unfortunately, she may not have the chance. A dark creature is destined to escape the Beneath before then, and if he is not stopped, the world will be destroyed."

Blauna stared up at the mammoth with shock.

"But the Beneath is impenetrable!"

"Not as much as you might think. Do you know the story of how the Keeper of the Beneath took on his post?"

"No."

"He was married to the Monarch Queen, even in death. They often visited the world of the living as spirits, protecting us from harm when the magic of Queen Lily wasn't enough. In the year 3000, Lily decided to join them in the world above, along with her brother, Luke. She appointed me King. I was thrilled with the prospect, but I was not prepared. The Blood Monarch escaped the Beneath, and there was a great battle between her and the four spirits. Having grown stronger in her isolation, the Blood Monarch defeated them all. Desperate to save the lives of countless innocents, the Monarch Queen agreed to the terms of her sister: if she surrendered herself to the Beneath, to be trapped forever like the Blood Monarch, no one would be hurt. The Queen's husband knew that the deal was a ruse, and without the Monarch Queen protecting our world, it would be easy prey for the forces of evil. As she was about to shake hands with the Blood Monarch, he pushed her aside and took on the deal in her place. He became ruler of the Beneath, and his son joined him in this dark realm. Lily stayed with her mother in Elliesium, and the family remains divided to this day."

Blauna took a deep breath.

"Okay, so what does this have to do with my father?"

"There was another player in this tale, though she has not been seen for quite some time. It is said that she retreated to an untouched land in this world, hidden away lest she somehow cause another catastrophe, as she so often had in the past. On the day you were born, Blauna, your mother told your father a secret. This secret was so dangerous that she was forced to leave him, and afterwards, he spent his whole life searching for . . . searching for the one person who could defeat the evil creature. The one _dragon_ , I should say. Now, she is our only hope. Without her, the monster will emerge from the Beneath, and the world will fall to darkness."

Blauna cocked her head.

"What about you? Can't you stop it?"

Elmer sighed dolefully.

"I am a politician, not a war hero. I could never measure up to my predecessors."

Blauna laughed bitterly.

"I know what it's like to feel insufficient because of the people who came before you, I'll tell you _that_ much."

"What do you mean?"

She backed away from him and changed into a full stegoceratops.

"I'm blue, I have three horns . . ."

"Do not listen to those who would blame you for the crimes of your ancestors. You are much more than an echo of the past."

She changed back to her usual shape.

"There's still no place in this world for someone like me."

"Then make one. This is coming from a mammoth in a world of saurians. Don't give up hope, Blauna. If you're anything like your father, good things will come your way."

He handed her a book. When she flipped through it, she was surprised to see that the pages were empty.

"If you need to contact me for any reason, use this. The ink will appear on the twin manuscript in my study. For now, I suggest you continue your studies as usual. It's good to have an active mind. When you graduate, however, I recommend taking up your father's mantle. If there's anyone who can convince the dragon to save our world, it's _you_ , Blauna."

He began to walk away, leaving her dumbfounded. She scurried after him.

"Wait! What do you mean? I'm not like my father! I'm a nobody!"

"Or maybe you simply haven't had the chance to be yourself. You must have faith in me, Blauna. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't think it was important."

He left her standing on the balcony, overlooking a crowd of people who, by all accounts, would probably be able to do a better job of . . . whatever _this_ was. Blauna didn't know the first thing about her father's work or history or mythology or _anything_. She was perhaps the least qualified person for this task. Then again, if Elmer thought she could do it . . .

Blauna found her friends by a large skeleton display. Oranchamp was pointing at the skull, which had a pointed beak and long, black-tipped horns. Crimsol noticed the third member of their party returning, and cleared his throat.

"So, what did Elmer say?"

Blauna placed the empty book in her bag.

"He said I have research to do."

"What kind?"

She circled the skeleton slowly, examining the extended wings.

"We should do this for our project."

Crimsol blinked.

"The skeleton? Why?"

Blauna stood in front of it, staring deep into the eye sockets.

"I need learn everything there is to know about dragons."

 **The End**


End file.
